Andrew Scott has generated significant Oscar buzz for his performance in the forthcoming film Elsinore, in which he portrays Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who died from AIDS shortly after giving acclaimed performances as Hamlet at the National Theatre. Critics have been effusive in their praise, with the actor described as "almost certain" to win Best Actor at next year's Academy Awards, which would make him the first openly gay man to win the award in that category. The accolade would continue Ireland's recent success at the Oscars, following Cillian Murphy's win in 2024 and Jessie Buckley's the following year.

Cathal Black, the director who gave Scott his first film role in the 1995 Irish film Korea when Scott was just 17, has revealed that he initially had doubts about casting the actor because he thought him "too pretty" for the part. However, Black was persuaded by a casting adviser, and Scott's talent quickly demonstrated itself—particularly through his skilled grasp of regional Irish accents, which helped ground the film in its native setting. Critics have lauded Scott's portrayal of Charleson as a "superb" and "shattering performance," praising his ability to capture the character's complexity without reducing him to a symbol of loss from the AIDS crisis.